1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention are directed to smoking articles such as cigarettes and, more particularly, to cigarettes having configured lighting ends.
2. Description of Related Art
Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge, roll, or column of smokable material such as shredded tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form) surrounded by a paper wrapper thereby forming a so-called “smokable rod” or “tobacco rod.” Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element comprises cellulose acetate tow plasticized using triacetin, and the tow is circumscribed by a paper material known as “plug wrap.” A cigarette can incorporate a filter element having multiple segments, and one of those segments may include activated charcoal particles. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,186 to Veluz; PCT Pub. No. WO 2006/064371 to Banerjee; and U.S. Pat. App. Pub No. 2007/0056600 to Coleman III, et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Typically, the filter element is attached to one end of the tobacco rod using a circumscribing wrapping material known as “tipping paper,” in order to provide a so-called “filtered cigarette.” It also has become desirable to perforate the tipping material and plug wrap, in order to provide dilution of drawn mainstream smoke with ambient air. Descriptions of cigarettes and the various components thereof are set forth Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) (1999) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/696,416 to Marshall et al. Normally, a generally cylindrical or rod-shaped smoking article, such as a cigarette, has a generally circular cross-sectional shape, and each of the lighting tip and mouth end faces thereof extend virtually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of that cigarette. A cigarette typically is employed by a smoker by lighting one end thereof and burning the tobacco rod. The smoker then receives mainstream aerosol (e.g., smoke) into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the filter or mouth end) of the cigarette.
Various attempts to alter the visual attributes of cigarettes have been proposed. For example, there have been attempts to alter the color of the wrapping materials that provide the wrapping material of the tobacco rod (e.g., cigarettes marketed under the trade name “More” by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company possess cigarette rod wrapping papers exhibiting a brown color) and tipping materials used to attach the tobacco rod to the filter element (e.g., tipping materials have been printed or otherwise formed so as to possess a “cork” appearance and/or to possess at least one circumscribing ring). In addition, there have been attempts to alter the general appearance of the filter elements of cigarettes. See, for example, the types of cigarette filter element formats, configurations and designs set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,396,733 to Allseits et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,663 to Schultz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,671 to Byrne; U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,525 to Berger; U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,410 to Luke; U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,763 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 4,655,736 to Keith; U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,385 to Chumney, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,809 to Pryor et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,814 to Raker; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007/0023056 to Cantrell et al. and 2007/0169786 to Li et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Certain attempts have been made to alter the nature or character of smoke generated by cigarettes through the positioning of various components or component materials near the lighting ends or tip portions of cigarettes. In one regard, a cigarette having a paper wrapped tobacco rod may include ingredients (e.g., ammonium salts or tobaccos having relatively high ammonia levels) located at its tip portion that corresponds to its lighting end. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,874,508 to Shafer et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0022829 to Atwell et al., which are incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, attempts have been made to alter the nature or character of smoke by positioning components near the mouth end of cigarettes. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,366 to Starbuck et al., entitled, “Cigarette Having Heat Sink Means For Removing Impurities From Cigarette Smoke.”
In yet another regard, certain types of cigarettes, such as those marketed commercially under the brand names “Premier” and “Eclipse” by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, have incorporated combustible fuel sources (e.g., carbonaceous fuel elements) that generate heat for the production of a smoke-like aerosol. See, for example, the types of smoking articles set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,062 to Clearman et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,451 to Riggs et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007/0023056 to Cantrell et al.; 2007/0215167 to Crooks et al; and 2007/0215168 to Banerjee et al.; each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It would be desirable to provide a manner or method for providing alteration of the overall composition of mainstream aerosol generated by a cigarette.